Is Creatine Worth It?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Beginners
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Creatine - Good or bad?

Is creatine really worth it? Some of it can get kind of expensive, but does it give better results?

What do you think.

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It’s very cheap. Just buy pure Creatine monohydrate, not that 15 servings a bottle crap with other shit added in. Creatine monohydrate should cost like $15. for a jar that lasts you like half a year taking it 5x a week. You only need 5g/day (teaspoon) to maintain it.

Yes, it is a nice supplement and worth it. Take it with your post-workout shake that has carbs or with some fruit juice. Grape juice is the best. The insulin spike makes it more effective.

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I don’t take creatine but i’ve been thinking about it and would like to know what other people think about it too.

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worth it, even with our poop-shit economy

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Yes

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Is there a specific brand favored by most of you?

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I have been taking creatine for a little while now, and I can definitely see a difference. I would suggest 7 days/ two servings @ 5 grams a piece. Then 5 grams a day then on. Also, make sure the creatine is Micronized Monohydrate.

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I’ll be buying some of that tomorrow : )

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depends on how long you been in the game

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I personally didn’t get much out of creatine. I’ll probably try it again in the future, but it seems like it just made me hold a lot of water and didn’t affect my workouts at all.

Also, OP, I just read another post where you state you’re 15 years old and inexperienced. I wouldn’t even worry about it at this point.

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[quote]theuofh wrote:
All Articles - T NATION [/quote]

x2

  1. Creatine is dirt-cheap.

  2. There are no significant differences between types of creatine. Just go with Micronized German stuff.

  3. Biotest sells Micronized German Creatine. How convenient!

  4. Creatine helps shuttle energy to your muscles (I’m keeping the discussion basic, because the words ‘ATP’ and ‘Actin/Myosin’ scare people). This makes it particularly helpful when working in the 8-12 rep-range

  5. Creatine is best absorbed during an insulin spike. With the sugars in your PWO drink is great. With your BCAA’s if you’re low-carbing it. In whatever if you don’t think it’s that big of a deal.

  6. 5g is a good enough serving once you’re loaded. Take 5g creatine after you work out.

  7. You load by downing 5g of creatine in water 4x/day for four days (I think it’s four days… maybe three). Don’t worry about needing an insulin spike at this point.

Also recommended to go with your creatine: Gatorade powder and whey protein, to create a decent PWO drink!

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I’ve used creatine, Haven’t really noticed any difference except for the fact when I go to sleep I keep having falling sensations but only on the area of my head, I stopped the creatine and the sensations have virtually stopped.

So I attribute it to creatine, will I ever try it again? Yes. Worth a try? Yes.

Theres too much research to suggest it works, why it didn’t for me I don’t know.

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I’ve read a bit about it, and people are always mentioning ‘water weight’ what is that.

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[quote]blaisei wrote:
I’ve read a bit about it, and people are always mentioning ‘water weight’ what is that.[/quote]

Short answer: Taken PWO, creatine can help you gain mass by putting more water into your muscles. This helps your leverages, increases your LBM, gives your muscles a more ‘full’ look without actually increasing your strength levels or the size of your muscle fibers (myofibullar hypertrophy, I believe. Horrible spelling though).

Long answer: your muscles are made of part shit (solute) part water (solvent). Generally, it likes to keep things pretty much at homeostasis (the same levels). When you take creatine, and it gets into the cells, it increases the levels of shit (solute) in your muscles. Your body doesn’t like being out of homeostasis, so to adapt, it draws in water (solvent) to balance out the ratios. This doesn’t really do anything besides add weight, and maybe increase your leverages. It isn’t hypertrophy, sarcoplasmic or myofibullar, it’s just water. So it’s called ‘water weight’.

Honestly, don’t worry about it. Your weight will go up without significantly impacting your BF levels. When you cut, you’ll lose the water weight. When you start doing carbs again, you’ll gain it back. It’s basically one of things you learn to factor out, even though it’s pretty cool to gain ten pounds after a carb-load due to glycogen replenishment and water-weight.

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[quote]Otep wrote:
blaisei wrote:
I’ve read a bit about it, and people are always mentioning ‘water weight’ what is that.

Short answer: Taken PWO, creatine can help you gain mass by putting more water into your muscles. This helps your leverages, increases your LBM, gives your muscles a more ‘full’ look without actually increasing your strength levels or the size of your muscle fibers (myofibullar hypertrophy, I believe. Horrible spelling though).

Long answer: your muscles are made of part shit (solute) part water (solvent). Generally, it likes to keep things pretty much at homeostasis (the same levels). When you take creatine, and it gets into the cells, it increases the levels of shit (solute) in your muscles. Your body doesn’t like being out of homeostasis, so to adapt, it draws in water (solvent) to balance out the ratios. This doesn’t really do anything besides add weight, and maybe increase your leverages. It isn’t hypertrophy, sarcoplasmic or myofibullar, it’s just water. So it’s called ‘water weight’.

Honestly, don’t worry about it. Your weight will go up without significantly impacting your BF levels. When you cut, you’ll lose the water weight. When you start doing carbs again, you’ll gain it back. It’s basically one of things you learn to factor out, even though it’s pretty cool to gain ten pounds after a carb-load due to glycogen replenishment and water-weight.[/quote]

Alright then, I just wanted to make sure it doesn’t just bloat you and basically make you look fat lol. So does it help build muscle, or just make them look bigger?

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[quote]blaisei wrote:

Alright then, I just wanted to make sure it doesn’t just bloat you and basically make you look fat lol. So does it help build muscle, or just make them look bigger?[/quote]

Increasing size and strength of your muscles maximizes work potential and work capacity. More more work, more weight, will lead eventually to more growth.

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Personally, I’ve noticed a quicker increase in strength levels while I’m taking creatine. I’ve “cycled” on/off creatine for a while now (there’s no method to my “cycling”), and I notice I gain strength/muscle mass faster while I’m taking creatine than when I’m not.

I feel like I can handle a larger work load/more volume while taking creatine than when I’m not. (disclaimer: sans ceteris paribus)